Circuitry with a feel for humanity
Nothing Eileen Oldaker tried could calm her mother when she called from the nursing home, disoriented and distressed in what was likely the early stages of dementia. So Oldaker hung up, dialed the nurses’ station and begged them to get Paro.
Dreaming of Winter Yet?
Boy, it’s hot! Yesterday’s air temperature reached 100°F (38°C) at Logan Airport, which fell just short of a record high. However, the heat index, which is a measure of how it actually feels due to the combined temperature and humidity, made it feel closer to 105°F (41°C). At night, there is little relief from the stifling heat, making it really uncomfortable to sleep for those without air conditioning.
Calls for shift on Gaza policy; building a private sector
GAZA — Three years after Israel and Egypt imposed an embargo on this tormented Palestinian strip, shutting down its economy, a consensus has emerged that the attempt to weaken the governing party, Hamas, and drive it from power has failed.
Independent labor movement stirs in China, workers seek to double wages
ZHONGSHAN, China — Striking workers at a Honda auto parts plant here are demanding the right to form their own labor union, something officially forbidden in China, and held a protest march Friday morning.
Shorts (left)
A government panel Thursday essentially doubled its estimate of how much oil has been spewing from the out-of-control BP well, with the new calculation suggesting that an amount equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster could be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every eight to 10 days.
Shorts (right)
JOHANNESBURG — The World Cup begins here Friday with excitement at so elevated a level that even many of the unhappy are happy.
MIT alum Carly Fiorina in race for U.S. Senate seat
You can parse a voting record. Flip-flops — political ones — are fair game. But don’t talk about a woman’s hair.
Macroburst causes wind damage
This past Sunday, a severe thunderstorm blew through the Boston area, leaving scattered branches and toppled trees in its wake. The National Weather Service has confirmed that the wind damage associated with this storm was caused by a macroburst, or a large downdraft of air usually generated by a thunderstorm, which can cause very strong, sustained winds over an area several miles wide. While quite different from tornadoes, macrobursts can cause similar damage in some cases. During the macroburst this past weekend, the Green Building recorded a wind gust of 56 mph.
A call to triple U.S. spending on energy research
WASHINGTON — The United States is badly lagging in basic research on new forms of energy, deepening the nation’s dependence on dirty fuels and crippling its international competitiveness, a diverse group of business executives warn in a study to be released Thursday.
New Israeli tack needed on Gaza, U.S. officials say
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration considers Israel’s blockade of Gaza to be untenable and plans to press for another approach to ensure Israel’s security while allowing more supplies into the impoverished Palestinian area, senior American officials said Wednesday.
Abortion foes advance<br />cause at state level
At least 11 states have passed laws this year regulating or restricting abortion, giving opponents of abortion what partisans on both sides of the issue say is an unusually high number of victories. In four additional states, bills have passed at least one house of the legislature.
Shorts (right)
The Transportation Department signaled Wednesday that it planned to be more aggressive in forcing airlines to address common traveler frustrations, proposing a wide range of consumer protections. They come on top of earlier rules limiting how much time passengers can sit on planes on the tarmac.
Nuclear option on the oil spill?<br />U.S. says no thank you
The chatter began weeks ago as armchair engineers brainstormed for ways to stop the torrent of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico: What about nuking the well?
Shorts (left)
Last month, when Steve St. Angelo, a longtime executive at Toyota in the United States, traveled to Japan, it was an eye-opening journey.
Heaviest users of AT&T<br />phone data will pay more
They spend hours watching video on their phones, downloading songs, browsing the Web, sending photos to friends and generally using mobile devices as full-fledged computers. They are the data hogs.
Commencement Weather
Last week when I picked up my regalia, I was warned that the fabric’s dye could run if the temperatures were warm or if it rained. Thankfully, it looks like our chance for rain during Commencement will be minimal. Highs should be reasonable as well, near 76°F (24°C). (With any luck, I’ll wear the white dress sitting in my closet.) Skies during commencement should be partly cloudy, with clouds increasing overnight. The chance for rain will also increase overnight and into Saturday as a shortwave moves through. The chance for rain will continue through Saturday night into Sunday as a weakly unstable air mass continues over the region. Temperatures through the weekend should remain comfortable with highs in the mid-70s, and lows in the 60s. A weak cold front will pass through Sunday night, followed by drier conditions and a more stable synoptic setup through the beginning of next week. And thus concludes my last Tech forecast as an MIT student. Good luck to the Class of 2010!
Study cited for health-cost cuts overstated upside, critics say
In selling the health care overhaul to Congress, the Obama administration cited a once obscure research group at Dartmouth College to claim that it could not only cut billions in wasteful health care spending but make people healthier by doing so.
Obama selects Kagan, former HLS dean, for Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan as the nation’s 112th justice, choosing his own chief advocate before the Supreme Court to join it in ruling on cases critical to his view of the country’s future, Democrats close to the White House said on Sunday.
A trillion dollar bailout for Europe, with doubts attached
Like the giant financial bailout announced by the United States in 2008, the sweeping rescue package announced by Europe eased fears of a market collapse but left a big question: Will it work long term?
Finland’s 100,000-year plan to banish its nuclear waste
It is, in the words of the Danish filmmaker Michael Madsen, “a place we must remember to forget.”